Carl Mullis honored at Emory as distinguished alum

We've been a little light with the blogging lately (busy busy!), but we would be remiss not to call your attention to this small photo set on our Flickr page that documents Emory University's honoring of Carl Mullis, the chair of GMOA's Board of Advisors, as a distinguished alumnus of that institution. You can find more details here. We already know what an asset Carl is, but it was nice to see him recognized in a larger forum.

When Gold Blossoms

Image from Michael C. Carlos Museum website

When Gold Blossoms: Indian Jewelry from the Susan L. Beningson Collection is on view at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta. The exhibition has more than 150 pieces from 2,000 years and “celebrates the dazzling beauty and awe-inspiring technical craftsmanship of Indian jewelry.”

Much of the jewelry in When Gold Blossoms is from South India, where gold is the preferred metal for jewelry making. The title also reflects the influence of nature on jewelry design. The exhibition includes rings, anklets, earrings, hair pendants and more. In addition to the jewelry itself, photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries will be displayed so that viewers can see how the pieces are worn and used.

In India, jewelry is worn not only for ornamental reasons, but also because of its symbolism. Both men and women wear jewelry from head to toe for its beauty and the belief that it offers protection and prosperity. Materials in the jewelry are also said to have certain powers, including purification (gold) or channeling energy (gems). There is much to learn about Indian jewelry and its meaning, so click here to read more.

The exhibition runs through July 11. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Click here for an article about the exhibition in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (prices also included at the end of the article).

Scripture for the Eyes

If you've been missing our Herman Janz. Mullers and you didn't make it up to New York to see the exhibition "Scripture for the Eyes: Bible Illustration in Netherlandish Prints of the 16th Century" when it was on display at the Museum of Biblical Art, it's now come to the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, significantly closer for most of you. The exhibition, which features two of Janz. Muller's prints from the permanent collection of GMOA, is on view at the Carlos through January 24, 2010. Tonight (Thursday, Nov. 5) at 7 p.m. in the Carlos's reception hall is a lecture entitled "Reading the Bible through Images in the Sixteenth-Century Low Countries" to be delivered by Dr. Walter Melion, co-curator of the exhibition and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Art History at Emory University. Melion will decode several prints from the exhibition. For example, in "Balaam and the Angel in a Panoramic Landscape," Maarten van Heemskerck uses a new pictorial format and a relatively new subject—the biblical landscape—to explore the theme of prophecy in the complex scriptural text Numbers 22-24. Other works to be discussed include Jan Swart van Groningen’s "Christ Preaching from the Ship" and several emblems from Benito Arias Montano’s "Monuments of Human Salvation." If you happen to be in the area tonight, it sounds like a very interesting program, and we encourage you to go see the exhibition.